COORDINATE

GEOMETRY OF THE
CIRCLE
Prepared by: Imani Richards
Topics to cover
◦ The equation of a circle
◦ Equation of a circle, centre origin (0, 0)
◦ Equation of a circle, centre (a, b)
◦ Equation of a circle, centre (-g,-f)
◦ Tangent and normal to a circle
◦ The gradient of the tangent and normal to a circle
◦ Alternative method to find the gradient of a tangent to a circle
◦ The equation of the tangent and normal at a point on the circle
◦ The position of a point relative to a circle
◦ Intersection of a circle and a straight line
Syllabus
The equation of a circle

◦ The equation of a circle can be expressed in different

forms. To define a circle on the coordinate plane, we must
know the coordinates of the centre and the length of the
radius.
Equation of a circle,
centre origin (0, 0)
Equation of a circle, centre (a, b)
Equation of a circle, centre (-g,-f)
Examples + Solutions
Tangent and normal to a circle
The gradient of the tangent and normal to a
circle
Example + Solution
The equation of the tangent and normal at a
point on the circle
◦ The equation of the tangent/normal will take form y = mx + c, and so to we
need a point on the line and the gradient to find the specific equation.
Calculating the tangent + normal(recommended)**

Equation of the tangent Equation of the normal

Example +
Solution
Example +
Solution
Alternative method to find the gradient of a
tangent to a circle
Example +
solution
The position of a
point relative to a
circle
Example +
Solution
Intersection of a
circle and a
straight line
Example +
Solution
Example +
Solution